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THP   COmiTRY   CHURCH 


>  *  *  * 


Volume  3 


ol 


V.  3 


Federal  souncil  of  the  churches  of  Christ  in 
America,  What  every  church  should  know  about 
its  community • 

General  Association  of  Congregational  Churches 
of  Massachusetts,  Advance  reports  of  various 
committees,  1908  and  1909 

McElfresh,  F»  The  country  Sunday  school 

MclTutt,  M.  B.  Modern  methods  in  the  country  church 

McFutt ,  M»  B«  A  post-graduate  school  with  a  i:)urr^ose 

Massachusetts  Federation  of  Churches,  Quarterly 
bulletin.  Facts  and  factors.  October  1910 
"The  part  of  the  church  in  rural  x:r ogress  as 
discussed  at  the  Amherst  Conference,** 

Root,  E»  T.  State  federations 

Taft,  A»  B»  The  mistress  of  the  rural  manse 

Taf t ,  A.  B*  The  tent  mission 

Taylor,  G<  Basis  for  social  evangelism  with  rural 
applications 

Wells,  G,  F.  An  answer  to  the  ITev?  England  country 
church  question* 

Wells,  G.  F.  If/hat  our  country  churches  need 

Wilson,  W.  H.  The  church  and  the  transient 

Wilson,  W.  H»  Conservation  of  boys 

Wilson,  W.  H.  The  country  church 

Wilson,  W.  H»  The  country  church  i:)rogram 

Wilson,  W,  H.  Don*t  breathe  on  the  thermometer 

Wilson,  W,  H»  The  farmers*  church  and  the  farmers* 
t2  college 

[co    Wilson,  W.  11.  Getting  the  worker  to  church 
a. 

LU 


Wilson,  W,  H»  The  girl  on  the  farm 

Wilson,  W.  H»  How  to  manage  a  country  life 
institute 

Wilson,  W.  II,  "Marrying  the  land." 

Wilson,  W.  H»  ITo  need  to  "be  poor  in  the  country 

Wilson,  W.  H.  Synod's  oj^port unity 

Wilson,  W.  H.  What  limits  the  rural  Evangel 


9«3«99«4 


The  church^.  and  country  life.  Pamphlet  issued 
hy  the  Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

Boston  Library  Consortium  Member  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/farmerschurchfar03wils 


Department  of  Chttrch  and  Labor,  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  In  the  U  .8  .A  .466  Fifth  Ave.,New  York 

%f)t  ^farmers'  C!)ttrc!) 
antr  tfje  ^Farmers'  College 

By  WARREN  H.  WILSON,  Ph.D. 

THREE  laymen  of  national  reputa- 
tion have  publicly  favored  the  edu- 
cation of  ministers  in  part  in  agri- 
cultural colleges.  Ministers  them- 
selves, however,  realize  that  their  work  calls 
for  an  education  in  Sociology.  While  this 
problem  is  being  adjusted  by  the  theological 
seminaries,  the  present  generation  of  country 
ministers  are  called  on  to  produce  results  now. 
The  best  expedient  for  meeting  this  situation 
is  the  mutual  service  of  ministers  and  agricul- 
tural experts.  The  annual  meeting  of  every 
Presbytery  and  Synod  for  some  years  to  come 
should  hear  an  address  by  a  representative  of 
scientific  agriculture. 

The  State  and  National  governments  main- 
tain schools  and  colleges  of  agriculture  and 
experiment  stations,  which  are  well  manned. 
Out  from  these  an  extensive  system  of  farm- 
ers' institutes  keeps  a  multitude  of  selected  lec- 
turers in  the  field,  who  are  students  of  rural 
life  and  generally  men  of  high  character. 
Among  them  are  many  Christian  men  of  vision 
and  leadership.  The  value  of  these  men  and 
the  service  they  can  render  to  country  and 
town  churches  has  not  been  fully  appreciated. 

These  experts  are  ready  to  serve  under  given 
conditions  without  cost  to  the  community,  as 
lecturers  and  advocates  of  various  phases  of 
rural  prosperity.  Some  of  them  are  now  ren- 
dering valuable  service  through  churches  and 
rehgious  assemblies.  But  generally  this  corps 
of  leaders  in  rural  prosperity  do  not  them- 
selves realize  how  greatly  the  country  church 


can  help  them  in  their  approach  to  the  rural 
community.  The  farmer  has  scoffed  at  the 
farmers'  institute.  An  alliance  between  the  in- 
stitute lecturer  and  the  country  minister  should 
more  than  double  the  value  of  the  institutes. 
The  time  is  at  hand  for  the  co-operation  of 
these  prophets  of  rural  prosperity  with  the 
country  churches,  whose  prophetic  function 
has  the  attention  of  the  country  population. 

Country  life  is  one.  The  industrial,  social, 
moral  and  religious  life  of  farmers  constitute 
not  several  different  interests,  but  a  single 
problem  of  rural  revival.  In  the  country  each 
man  is  a  laborer,  and  each  man  is  a  merchant, 
and  each  man  practices  in  some  degree  a  pro- 
fession. There  is  no  police  force  nor  fire  de- 
partment. Each  man  is  a  policeman  and  each 
man  a  fireman.  Similarly,  all  the  problems  of 
the  country  fall  upon  every  member  of  the 
population.  The  financial  prosperity  of  the 
country  is  bound  up  with  its  moral  well-being, 
and  the  ethical  movements  of  country  life 
have  their  home  in  the  church.  Says  a  leading 
agricultural  editor:  "There  will  never  be  a  re- 
vival of  agricultural  prosperity  without  a  re- 
vival of  religion."  And  the  other  side  of  this 
truth  was  expressed  by  a  church  official  of 
national  prominence,  who  declares :  "The 
country  church  will  never  prosper  till  min- 
isters learn  how  to  till  the  soil." 

Among  the  leaders  in  the  revival  of  rural 
life  are  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  Cornell  University; 
Kenyon  L.  Butterfield,  of  Amherst  Agricul- 
tural College ;  Gifford  Pinchot,  ex-Forester  of 
the  United  States ;  Harry  Hayward,  director 
in  Delaware  College ;  "Joe"  Wing,  of  Me- 
chanicsburg,  Ohio,  and  other  men  in  the  vari- 
ous states,  who  have  recognized  that  country 
life  cannot  be  improved  by  increasing  crops 
alone,  but  by  the  co-operation  of  every  insti- 
tution of  the  rural  community  in  the  interest 
of  the  betterment  of  the  people  of  the  farm 
and  village. 

THE  WILLETT  PRESS,  N.  T. 


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